Steel bleacher



June 9, 1931. H. D. OBERDORFER ET AL 1,309,598

STEEL BLEACHER Filed July 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

June 9, 1931. H. D. OBERDORFER ET AL STEEL BLEACHER Filed July 22. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fan 0 Patented June 9, 1931 U TE S PATENT OFFICE-L HENRY 1). OBERDORFER; 0F NEWCASTLE, INDIANA, AND mm B.Jo'Hi\Ts'01 T,' 0F

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY STEELUBLEACHER -Application filed July 22, 1929. Ser-ia1 No.'379,907i

This invention relates in general to bleachersof the type which may be quickly erected and taken apart for use in emergenciesor-as a knock-down stand which is easily 5 erected and taken apart at various places to accommodate crowds of spectators at any public gatherings. The construction is commonly used for athletic games, concerts, parades, conventions and in fact at any place nr Where a quantity of seatsis required.

One of the principalobjects of theinvention is to provide a steel structure stand the provision of an improved aisle structure with broader steps than the foot boards. dis

posed between the seats at the .level of the foot boards.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, thedrawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention. Inthe drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation with the central portion omitted of bleachers constructed in accordance withthe'principles.of this invention;'Fig-..2 is'an enlarged detail showingthe aisle structure; Fig. 8 is arear view of a portion of the stand as shown in Fig.1; Fig. dis a perspective of two adjacent removable seat boards and a common support therefor before they are connected; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the seatboards as connected to the suptrt;

Reterring now more pertiealarly to the drawings, a number of inclined. stringers or stringer sections -6 and. 7 are-'1nou'ntedand connected to ext-end at an angleto theground-= to the PPortuP n w-hich th e: stand is placed. The frontstringer section" 6*has an angular toe or front piece 8 which adapts'it to be supported at its front upon the ground and the other sections-Tare connected =as an' extension at the same" inclination: The stringer. sections are preferably of channel" shaped cross-'sectionin' accordance With'struc'- tural steel practice and'securedto them at spaced intervals are angle bar seat supports 9, each consistingof two uprightsandatopcross piecewith a seat board 10 resting'uponi the cross piece. Extending between and con nect-ingith'e opposite adjacent legs ofthe'seat supports are braces 11 upon which 'on'e 'orf morefoot boards 12are mounted betweenlthe seats. v

In order to provide an aifslestructure extending upwardly from the ground between the'seats, the seat boards 10 may be omittedv between adj aoe'nt' seat supports and hangers 13- may be securedto'the' reai" and: front boards of adjacent footboard's'" 12 for supporting aisle "boards 14. The lower end of: each hanger-is p'refe'r'ablvformed with an ofiiset 15 so that the-aisle boards14 are-supported at the same level as the regular foot boards12, thus making abroad aisle or 'step' whichis substantially tv'vicethe widthofthe foot board and forming a continuation thereof. a

The seat and foot board' 'suppo'rts are pref erably of angle bar constructi'on which makesi them light and strong and the seat andflioot boards 10 and :12 are I remo'vabl'y secured in place by 'interengaging' brackets'16 and'17 at x the opposite ends'of" each board; These brackets are 'securedtothe'under side ofeach board by bolts '18 or other; suitable fastening means. Each bracket 16 has spaeedlugs 19 t e form a of hooks which engage over the the" angle bar seat -sagspereawith a central recess 20 spacing the hooks apart to permit the insertion of a tongue 21 extending from the other bracket 17 which is inclined downwardly to extend below the angle bar support 9. The cross piece of each board support may be provided with a perforation 22, and the projecting bracket 16 is provided with a corresponding recess or opening 23 for insertion of a fastening below for holding this end of the board in place if there is not an adjacent board with a bracket 17 for holding the boards in place.

With this construction, a seat board 12 is hooked over one of the supports 9 at one end and its bracket 17 is slipped under a support 9 at the other end, the under side of the board resting either on top of the support 9 or on top of the bracket 16 of an adjacent board, as shown in Fig. 5, if the adjacent board is already in position. WVhen the seat boards are assembled thus in alignment, they mutually lock each other in place against disengagement, and any one of the boards may be positively secured in position by means of the registering openings 22 and 23 as above described.

With this construction the seat and foot boards are easily and quickly assembled and taken apart so that they need not be left exposed to the Weather even if the remainder of the stand is left in its erectedposition. In supporting the stringers, a number of tubular posts 24, 25 and 26 are provided, graduated in size and each having a foot piece 27 and a head iece 28. The foot pieces may be supported upon the ground or floor or upon a oard 29, depending upon where the stand is erected.

Each head piece 28 has an inclined support 30 to which the stringers or stringer sections may be removably attached by bolts or other fastening devices and both the head and foot pieces are provided with laterally extending perforated attachment wings 31. On the longer supporting bars 25 and 26 between the ends are sleeves 32 which need not be rigidly connected to the bars from which there are also projecting attachment wings 31.

Between the attachment wings of these sleeves, head and foot pieces are a number of braces 33 of different lengths and extending as shown in Fig. 1 between adjacent supports in a horizontal line and inclined and extending laterally, as shown in Fig. 3, at various angles between supports of the same length and at an angle between supports of different lengths. Y

In addition to these there are a number of supports 34 which extend from the connecting wings 31 of the foot'pieces and from the connectingwings of the sleeves 32 directly to the stringers between the supporting head pieces 28.

These supports 33 and 34 may be solid bars of metal or any suitable material but preferably they are of tubular metal flattened at the end and perforated so that the fastening bolt 35 may be inserted through the perforation and through that of any one of the connecting links to which the brace is to be attached.

The head and foot pieces 28 and 31 are not necessarily secured to the supports as they are positively held in place by the connection of the parts and by the braces which permits the entire structure to be easily and quickly erected, and as easily taken apart. If desired, some of the wings 31 may be omitted for the side and rear head and foot and sleeve pieces, but they are also left in place for possible extension of the stands either laterally or at the rear.

We claim:

1. In a sectional stand construction, an inclined sectional stringer, a plurality of supports graduated in height, each support having a foot piece resting upon the ground into which the support is inserted, a head piece for each support attached to the stringer and supporting the stringer at an angle to the support, the angle supports having sleeves disposed intermediate the ends thereof, the sleeves, head pieces and foot pieces all being formed with perforated attachment wings, and a plurality of braces of different lengths extending from the wings to the stringers intermediate the supports and from some of the wings to adjacent wings for directly and crcss connecting adjacent supports for bracing them against movement in all directions.

2. In a sectional stand, a plurality of inclined stringers, means for supporting the stringers at an angle, a plurality of rectangular seat supports extending uprightly from the stringers in their inclined position, and horizontal foot board supports connected to the front and rear uprights of adjacent seat supports.

3. A sectional stand construction in accordance with claim 2 in which the seat and foot board supports are formed of angle bars and sectional seat and foot boards having interengaging hook portions at the ends adapted to be engaged with the angle bars for holding them in place and in connection with the angle bars.

7 4. In a sectional stand construction of the class described, a plurality of seat and foot placed end to end therewith and holding the boards mutually in place.

5. In a bleacher construction, a removable seat and foot board for detachable connection at its ends to supporting angle bars comprising a board having a hooked bracket secured I to the under side of one end of a board and projecting beyond the end with a central recess, and a bracket at the other end of the board having a tongue extending downwardly but covered by the board, the tongue being adapted to extend in-the recess of the opposite bracket of an adjacent board whereby the adjacent board will rest upon the hooked bracket, the boards being mutually held in place against longitudinal displacement by their interengagement and hooked connection with the support.

6. In a sectional grandstand structure, a plurality of seat supports arranged in tiers, one above the other, a plurality of foot board supports connected between the seat supports, seat and foot boards carried by the supports, and means comprising a bracket attached to the rear side of one foot board and to the front side of the next upper foot board for forming an extension of the foot board support at the level of the lower toot board and between adjacent seat supports in the same horizontal row.

7. In a sectional stand construction, a plurality of seats arranged in tiers, a foot board for each seat between the tiers, and an aisle extension between the seats in the same tier comprising additional foot boards, and means for supporting them between the seats at the level of the foot board for that seat.

8. In a knockdown bleacher construction, a plurality of spaced seat and foot board supports having a relatively wide horizontal portion with a free edge, a pair of boards arranged in horizontally aligned and end to end relation the joint therebetween registering with the horizontal portion, an angular member secured to the underside of one board near its end and projecting outwardly there from and terminating in a depending portion engaging the horizontal portion of the support, the other board overlying the outwardly projecting portion of said angular memher, and means carried at the underside of the said other board and spaced from the end thereof for cooperation with the depending portion of the angular member and the horizontal portion of the support andhaving a portion tounderlie the free edge of the sup port.

9. In a knockdown bleacher construction, a support having a horizontal portion, removable boards horizontally aligned and having an end to end joint registering upon the horizontal portion, one board having a bracket secured to the underside of the board near its end and projecting beyond the end side to co-operate with and to engage the underside of the support for holding both board ends on the support.

10. A device as defined by claim 9 in which said support is characterized by having a plurality of upright portions and a horizontal portion comprising a substantially U- shaped angle iron structure.

HENRY D. OBERDORFER. JOHN B. JOHNSON.

lCo' 

